York on a Forkhttps://yorkonafork.com
The best food, drink and lifestyle in YorkWed, 20 Mar 2019 21:03:52 +0000en-GBhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.4https://yorkonafork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/cropped-yoaf_favicon-32x32.pngYork on a Forkhttps://yorkonafork.com
3232A Grand cooking experiencehttps://yorkonafork.com/2019/03/20/a-grand-cooking-experience/
Wed, 20 Mar 2019 21:03:51 +0000http://yorkonafork.com/?p=18858The Grand Hotel is something of a landmark in the centre of York, occupying a prime location on the route from the train station to many of the city’s tourist attractions. It’s been worthy of a visit on its own merits for a number of years now, with two restaurants, relaxing space for drinks and…

]]>The Grand Hotel is something of a landmark in the centre of York, occupying a prime location on the route from the train station to many of the city’s tourist attractions. It’s been worthy of a visit on its own merits for a number of years now, with two restaurants, relaxing space for drinks and spa facilities to enjoy, and now that portfolio of attractions has been expanded with the addition of a cookery school that’s been realised on a suitably ‘grand’ scale.Steaks!

The new cookery school is part of an expansion that has also seen The Grand add an additional hundred bedrooms to its offering thanks to taking on space in a previously adjacent (now attached) building. The Cookery school has been executed with typical panache and features 16 cooking stations, a meeting room to boost appeal to corporate clients and plenty of space in which to enjoy the fruits of your labours.

Catching up with Sabrina Ghayour

There is a broad range of courses on offer from the team of tutors who are headed up by Andrew Dixon, joining after a stint at another reputed cookery school and who worked at a number of highly regarded restaurants before earning 3 AA Rosettes within 10 months of opening his own. Joining Andrew and his team will also be some big names including Sabrina Ghayour who will be running some classes. It goes without saying that I was keen to come by and check out the courses for myself.

Knife Skills

My first experience of tuition from the team was on a steak course run over a few hours across an evening which proved great fun. The class was a good mix of demonstrations and chat that left the participants confident to replicate the tutor’s dish of steak with mushroom, tomato and triple-cooked chips with aplomb. I was already pretty confident in my ability to knock out a decent steak but the chip recipe has since received plaudits from both Mrs Fork and Baby Fork when employed at home.

Scallops, crushed peas, bacon crisps, bacon veloute

The second course I road-tested was titled “Seafood Extravaganza” and took place over almost a full working day, during which we went through many elements of seafood preparation and produced various dishes of our own. The day started with coffee and snacks at half nine as we took in Andrew’s wisdom and got an understanding of how the day would work. The first job was to prepare our scallops and fillet our lemon sole in preparation for later dishes. Filleting a fish is quite intimidating when first attempted but our nerves were quickly calmed and we all managed to remove the fillets with due care and no injuries inflicted on the participants.

Salmon tartare

With the fish prepped, we were ready to start putting together the other elements of our first dish, a starter of seared scallops with crushed peas, bacon crisps and a bacon velouté. As we prepared the various elements of the dish using the handily weighed out ingredients that appeared on our cooking stations at convenient intervals, Andrew made sure to talk us through the rationale behind the processes we were using. This made sure that we picked up usable skills and knowledge rather than just blindly following recipes.

Lemon sole

The first course didn’t disappoint and with it happily eaten, we took a seat to have Andrew talk us through a salmon tartare that he served with a marinated cucumber salad, creme fraiche, quail egg and caviar. I’m a sucker for a good tartare so would happily have worked through several portions.

Team Fork at work

One of the themes of the learning had been how best to front load your prep so that when entertaining guests you’re left with time to actually enjoy yourself rather than slaving in the kitchen while absent from your own party. It was with this in mind that we assembled our main course quickly from components including the lemon sole fillets, wrapped around a salmon mousse and finely sliced root vegetables to cook into vegetable spaghetti. With the cooking done, we used the juices from the pain in which we’d cooked our paupiette fish to knock together a Champagne sauce. The final dish was luxurious and a pleasure to pair with a glass of wine which appeared on the cooking station.

Finally we had the option of a sorbet with which to finish things. Unfortunately Mrs Fork and I had misjudged our childcare arrangements and had to make tracks. That didn’t detract from our day though and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Andrew and the team are hugely knowledgeable, approachable and friendly teachers who add value at every opportunity with tidbits of knowledge and cookery tips with the potential to improve your everyday dishes. The Grand Cookery school is a fantastic facility that really adds to York’s appeal and should appeal to residents, tourists and corporate clients alike. I shall enjoy keeping an eye on its growing success.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for attendance at these courses. Opinions are impartial.

]]>Afternoon Tea at Oxo’s on The Mounthttps://yorkonafork.com/2019/03/11/afternoon-tea-at-oxos-on-the-mount/
Mon, 11 Mar 2019 12:57:57 +0000http://yorkonafork.com/?p=18837I’m not the biggest fan of afternoon tea. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth so when trying it, I can end up at a loose end after working my way through the sandwich offering. That said, when I was invited to Oxo’s at The Mount Royale for their afternoon tea, I was more…

]]>I’m not the biggest fan of afternoon tea. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth so when trying it, I can end up at a loose end after working my way through the sandwich offering. That said, when I was invited to Oxo’s at The Mount Royale for their afternoon tea, I was more than happy to go along and spend some more time in such a relaxing environment. Afternoon tea here is by appointment only so make sure you plan ahead if you’d like to check this one out.

Oxo’s at the Mount Royale has a few steps up to the front door but nothing the two of us found tricky to carry Baby Fork’s pram up. I was very taken with the building and gardens on our last visit for Sunday lunch a while back and was pleased to find us seated in a comfortable drawing room at low sofas that gave the perfect ambience for leisurely indulgence.

The Afternoon Tea offering here certainly leaves nothing on the table, so to speak. The breadth and quantity on offer put many other offerings to shame and took a little bit of ingenuity to squeeze onto the table! Our place settings were pre laid with a bag of crisps on which to munch before we started proper with a sweet passion fruit milk shake. The sandwiches included usual suspects such as egg mayonnaise and ham & tomato but the Coronation chicken was good enough to justify swiping Mrs Fork’s portion as well as my own.

Scones of course came with generous amounts of clotted cream & jam, hitting the expected high standard. These were quickly dispensed with, allowing us to get into the serious business of cakes. The cake selection was impressively broad and inventive featuring various flavours of macarons, Battenberg, brownie, cup cakes and an Eton mess. I have to admit that the selection overwhelmed us, though this was a function of their quantity rather than any lack of commitment on our half. Leftovers were happily packaged to take home and even more happily shared with a neighbour.

For £19.95 a head, this is a something of a conspicuous bargain, just as much so at £26.95 with a glass of something appropriately cold and fizzy. Not only does that get you the fabulous afternoon tea but also licence to explore the beautiful gardens attached to the establishment. Afternoon tea might not be my most favoured meal, but this was an exceptionally pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Baby Fork is still working on her walking but we’ll certainly bring her back in the summer to explore those gardens on the back of more sweet treats in the summer.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for our attendance. Opinions are impartial.

]]>YORKSHIRE’S FINEST FOOD AND DRINK ENTREPRENEURS REVEALED AT PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS CEREMONYhttps://yorkonafork.com/2019/03/08/yorkshires-finest-food-and-drink-entrepreneurs-revealed-at-prestigious-awards-ceremony/
Fri, 08 Mar 2019 15:48:18 +0000http://yorkonafork.com/?p=18839Eleven of Yorkshire’s leading food and drink businesses have been recognised for their entrepreneurial spirit, business acumen and product or service excellence, as winners were revealed at the second annual Garbutt + Elliott Food Entrepreneurs awards, last night. The winners emerged from over 100 entrants to be crowned across nine categories, including the coveted ‘Garbutt +…

]]>Eleven of Yorkshire’s leading food and drink businesses have been recognised for their entrepreneurial spirit, business acumen and product or service excellence, as winners were revealed at the second annual Garbutt + Elliott Food Entrepreneurs awards, last night.

The winners emerged from over 100 entrants to be crowned across nine categories, including the coveted ‘Garbutt + Elliott Business of the Year’ award. Both the winners and the shortlisted companies were celebrated at the awards ceremony, held at Kirkgate, the stunning Victorian Street in York’s famous Castle Museum.

The awards, set up by Leeds and York based Garbutt + Elliott, highlight the county’s growing position within the national and international food and drink sector and were created to recognise entrepreneurs and businesses from across Yorkshire who are part of creating the county’s great food industry.

The winners were chosen by a team from Garbutt + Elliott, together with an excellent judging panel, consisting of regional food professionals from sponsors Deliciouslyorkshire, SIAFS, Rollits, Made in Yorkshire and Yorkshire Food Guide as well as local food experts and Yorkshire chef extraordinaire Steph Moon, who also acted as MC for the awards.

Scooping two awards on the night was Cedar Barn Farm Shop and Café, who not only won in the Deliciouslyorkshire Taste category for their delicious sweet treats but also were awarded the accolade of Garbutt + Elliott Business of the Year, the most coveted of the awards.

Commenting on the winners, Garbutt + Elliott Managing Partner, Russell Turner, said, “Judging these awards was no easy task. The calibre of business, determination, genuine enthusiasm and love for their product as well as, of course, the products themselves, was extraordinarily high. We wish all the winners and those shortlisted, the best of luck and we look forward to watching them as they progress and grow.”

]]>Jaguar XFhttps://yorkonafork.com/2019/03/04/jaguar-xf/
Mon, 04 Mar 2019 13:11:49 +0000http://yorkonafork.com/?p=18626Can the Best of British defeat the endless onslaught from Germany? I tried the Jaguar XF to find out… Now that Jaguar has finished the important business of separating its current model line up from memories of the X & S Types, rounding out the saloon models with the F-Pace and F-Type, it’s moved its…

]]>Can the Best of British defeat the endless onslaught from Germany? I tried the Jaguar XF to find out…

Now that Jaguar has finished the important business of separating its current model line up from memories of the X & S Types, rounding out the saloon models with the F-Pace and F-Type, it’s moved its focus to the business of continuous improvement and keeping the line up fresh, which means there’s a new XF in the brochures.

Aggressive frontal styling sets it apart nicely from the previous generation, the grill standing proudly upright. When viewed from anything other than head on there’re rather too many similarities in the XE and XF styling, which is great for brand identity but less so for model differentiation. Even after driving the XF for a week, it wasn’t always possible to identify this generation of XF from the previous, or even the smaller XE.

The UK-built Ingenium 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine fitted to this top ‘Portfolio’ spec car knocks out a modest 180hp, but backs that up with 430Nm of torque, but that doesn’t sound like enough motivation for a car pushing 1,600kg. Once up and running though, that chunky torque figure allows for brisk enough performance when the gearbox can been coerced out of the highest gear that it can maintain. One benefit of sticking in the high ratios is fuel economy, a motorway run returning an impressive 56mpg despite diversions and hold ups. Over a week this dropped to a more realistically attainable 45.3mpg.

With the opportunity to drive a little more enthusiastically in the Yorkshire Moors than would be wise in a town centre, the sporting nature that’s a key pillar of the brand could be explored. Setting the transmission to Sport and the adaptive chassis controls to Dynamic allows the driver to take full control of shifting duties, confirmed by the rev counter shimmying to the centre of the instrument binnacle. Everything looks the part but, after a few miles, all those reports of good body control and sporting intentions had to be questioned. The ride wasn’t perfect when presented with broken, under-funded Northern town centre roads, but motorways were as deftly dispatched as you’d expect, so it was a bit of a shock to find back road undulations breaking the car’s composure. The XF might have held its line perfectly well, but the car didn’t inspire confidence.

Sure enough, something was amiss. The Dynamic mode had somehow been compromised so that the dampers remained in soft-and-comfortable standard mode, while everything else had tightened and sharpened itself as intended. Suddenly everything fell into place and the superbly upholstered Jaguar began to make progress at significant pace, easily giving life to the cliche of larger sports saloons shrinking around the driver and becoming easy to place on the road.

As far as the interior goes, there’s something of a sense that Jaguar is still trying too hard to shake off the burr walnut image with lots of stark black surfaces and leather, contrasted on this car by grey wood insets. The contrivance of those vents that reveal themselves highlights the swathe of slightly tacky silver plastic that dominates the passenger’s side of the dashboard, while the roller that covers the drinks holders will remain easy to keep out of sight and ignore the multitude of tiny scratches it absorbs.

There’s an abundance of things to press and a large touchscreen that acts as a portal to many, many more toys, some of which might be used more than once (be honest, how much use will anybody get from a G meter in this car?) but the system feels lethargic and dated. The optional InControl Touch Pro system comes with a Meridian audio system that deploys drum n’ bass to such effect as to rattle the change in my pocket and, while largely effective and easy to navigate, would justify the £1,225 price a little better with snappier responses to inputs.

This isn’t a car without faults. Expectations of ride and handling balance from a Jaguar are high, and the XF failed to meet the (perhaps unrealistic) demands; things were too choppy around town (not helped by the 19” wheels fitted to this car) and compromised too much in general to retain the luxury feel. The car only comes into its own when pushing on beyond what could be considered acceptable, or boring one’s way down a motorway.

It’s not even that spacious. Despite being of decidedly average height, headroom was a little tight; repeatedly a bottle of water was bopped against the headliner while maintaining hydration, leading to the inevitable spills. Spillages were also an ever-present fear thanks to the irritatingly small cup holders. It’s easy to dismiss stuff like this as niggles, but this kind of thing is the detail that makes living day to day that much easier, and the kind of detail that should be well resolved on a £38k car.

The XF might be a comfortable and adaptable car to live with that can be pushed into a decent turn of speed when the fancy takes you, but the cabin isn’t flawless, and it’s not as polished as its German rivals. Jaguar represents brand values that stand apart from those offerings though, and those values can, to an extent, make up for some flaws.

]]>Introducing children to The Star Inn the Cityhttps://yorkonafork.com/2019/02/20/introducing-children-to-the-star-inn-the-city/
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 21:02:51 +0000http://yorkonafork.com/?p=18482When we learned of the impending arrival of Baby Fork, we promised ourselves that this would not be the end of our love of dining out and that we would involve her in as many meals as practically possible. As she’s only just about to pass the one year marker, we’re not quite at the stage…

]]>When we learned of the impending arrival of Baby Fork, we promised ourselves that this would not be the end of our love of dining out and that we would involve her in as many meals as practically possible. As she’s only just about to pass the one year marker, we’re not quite at the stage of ordering from menus for her, but I’m acutely aware that time will zip by as it tends to these days and it’ll suddenly be a pressing consideration.

My blinkered life pre-baby meant that I hadn’t considered how an effective children’s menu needs to meet the diverse needs of the age range involved. With all that playing on my mind, I teamed up with Avocado Events last November to give The Star Inn the City the chance to show what they could do when presented with a bunch of children of varying ages.

You might think it odd that I’m posting now about an event last November but only a few days after the event, there was an unfortunate fire at the restaurant that has left their food service out of action until March of this year. In the meantime the guys have managed to keep the drinks service open with minimal disruptions, so it’ll be a real pleasure to see them back up and running.

Avocado Events and I invited a bunch of local influencers with a children of various ages to test the Star Inn the City’s children’s menu to its limit, so it was a happy bunch that arrived on a Thursday morning to indulge some keen appetites.

We took over a decent sized corner of the restaurant with great views across the Museum Gardens, in whose corner it nestles appealingly. I’ve had some lovely meals here over the last few years and it remains one of the most striking places to eat in York. This is something a good number of the attendees noted, particularly enjoying the sense of escape from York’s centre as you pass into the entrance courtyard where there’s frequently a welcoming fire burning.

With a large number of children in attendance, there was always a risk of some disruption, but all of our attendees’ kids were a great credit to them and behaved impeccably. We started out with a chat from Operations Director and Chef Matthew Hunter who talked passionately about the restaurant’s commitment to fresh, quality, seasonal produce and how this approach is shared across all of the restaurants in the group (The Star at Harome, The Star Inn the City, Mr P’s Curious Tavern, The Star Inn the Harbour).

Matthew was also keen to highlight how flexible they could be with their children menu. While of course there’s a decent selection on the kids menu, should they fancy something that it doesn’t feature, the kitchen will happily knock up a child sized portion of anything that features on the main menu.

Flat Iron Steak

There were a number of hits amongst the dishes our little diners enjoyed, the Yorkshire pudding & gravy starter drawing more little hands to it than the chicken liver parfait or prawn cocktail. Mains included spaghetti with tomato sauce, flat iron steak and classic ham, egg & chips that all drew their own fans amongst the junior audience. To finish up, our ravenous group went through bramble mousse, lemonade ice cream floats and chocolate brownie while us adults snacked on delicious arancini balls and prawn cocktails.

Bramble Mousse

The Star Inn the City is a great place for family dining that offers great food and a sense of occasion without undue formality. It was a great pleasure to organise this event with them and see so many people of different ages enjoying their food, for the first time in many cases. It was desperately unfortunate to hear about their fire so soon after all this fun, but they’ll be back up and running at full strength again soon.

Parents’ treat

Disclaimer: This event was organised in conjunction with Avocado Events and The Star Inn the City.

]]>Exploring the USAhttps://yorkonafork.com/2019/02/16/exploring-the-usa/
Sat, 16 Feb 2019 21:17:09 +0000http://yorkonafork.com/?p=18620What would be your dream holiday? Where would you go for a once in a lifetime trip? How much would you try and fit in? Would you prefer to fill your time relaxing on a beach catching up with your favourite authors or would you try to fit in as many sights as you could?…

]]>What would be your dream holiday? Where would you go for a once in a lifetime trip? How much would you try and fit in? Would you prefer to fill your time relaxing on a beach catching up with your favourite authors or would you try to fit in as many sights as you could? Pre-Baby Fork we had the opportunity to push the boat out so we opted for a trip that took in both sides of America. This is what we got up to.

Times Square

Katz’s Deli

Grand Central

Manhattan

9-11 Museum

The High Line

We started our trip in New York where we spent a few days happily exploring and indulging, finding the city to be just as much as an assault on the senses as reputed. We worked our way through plenty of the landmarks, being fortunate enough to be staying just off Times Square. Highlights included a food tour of Greenwich Village, Brooklyn Brewery, The High Line, Central Park and Grand Central Terminus. The 9/11 Museum was an immaculately curated and sobering experience. The food highlight was undoubtedly Katz’s Deli, which was made famous in “When Harry met Sally”. The pastrami on rye here is a thing of legend and even exceeded our expectations. On a side note, it was nice to find New York to be a friendly and welcoming place. Many years ago, I heard tell of someone there asking how to find a particular landmark only to be told “yeah you buy a f*cking map buddy”. Everyone we spoke to was unfailingly polite though.

Alcatraz

We then took advantage of reasonably priced domestic flights to make the journey to San Francisco and enjoy a rather more relaxed, and steep, city. Alcatraz was fascinating both in terms of its history and current protected status that has led to it being populated by diverse and interesting wildlife. Top tip – stay away from the front of the boat on the way over…Mrs Fork got soaked, but at least the weather cooperated in drying her out quickly. The Cable Car Museum that lets you get up close and personal with the mechanisms keeping the trams running was enlightening to have visited before making use of this charming transport network to save our legs from the hills. On the food front, Ryoko’s Sushi turned out to be a top tip from an old school friend. There were no reservations for this place but the queue was absolutely worth it and we were lucky enough to be seated with a great view of the chefs at work. We also went for a tour of Anchor Brewery, which was captivating and delicious in equal measure; our enthusiasm being driven in part by the morning’s generous sampling.

Anchor Brewery

Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco

Before long, it was time to embark on the largest part of our trip and make our way down the Pacific Coast Highway toward Yosemite National Park. I’ve had a thing about Dodge muscle cars ever since I obsessively watched Vanishing Point over and over as a child. If you’re not familiar with the nuances of this cinematic masterpiece, it centres around a man who has to deliver a car with great urgency and immediately degenerates into a surreal chase film featuring a blind DJ, a naked woman on a motorbike and the main protagonist’s death at the beginning of the film. Regardless of your feelings on the merit of the piece, the Dodge Challenger is the real star and has become deservedly iconic. When we had the opportunity to indulge ourselves with a trip to the USA, I seized upon the chance to check out the modern version of this motoring legend.

Sea Otter!

Bixby Bridge

There’s something perversely appealing about cars that, despite significant bulk, only comfortably accommodate two people. That doesn’t necessarily translate into an immediately comfortable driving experience though so I have to admit to a few feelings of trepidation as I got to grips with the expansive bonnet (sorry, hood) and the American road network. Our first stop was at Santa Cruz for a quick rest, though we took just enough time to admire the beach before hitting the road for our first overnight stop in Monterey, where we were excited about checking out the Aquarium. Hammerhead sharks and jellyfish were amongst the colossal range things to see but the sea otters were absolutely captivating. I could have watched them for hours!

Feeling the Pacific

Suitably refreshed, it was time to hit the road again toward our next overnight at Cambria, taking in Pebble Beach on the way and taking in the iconic Bixby Bridge before the breathtaking views all along the Big Sur coastline. The whole of this stretch was just magnificent, and would have justified lingering over for days at a time. Sadly we didn’t have time to do so as we made our way on to our next overnight stop at Paso Robles, being sure to stop at Piedras Blancas to say hi to the numerous elephant seals.

Bubblegum Alley

Sequoia root

The drive to Paso Robles was a short one we we broke it up with a stop at San Luis Obismo where we were advised by the tourist office that Bubblegum Alley was unmissable. This turned out to be both entirely missable and thoroughly unappetising. If you can picture an alleyway festooned in bubblegum that remains soft in the Californian warmth you can comfortably give it a miss. San Luis Obismo was otherwise a picturesque stop off where we found a very decent lunch in the garden of Novo before sheltering from the heat in The Old Mission. When we arrived at Paso Robles, we popped out for a wine tasting with LXV before grabbing some Mexican food.

For our base at Yosemite, we’d chosen Tenaya Lodge, finding it on a suitably grand scale to reflect the enormity of the park. As we arrived at the entrance to the park we had an immediate illustration of the enormity of the site when we were directed to continue to the visitor centre just another 23 miles up the road. The vistas throughout are scarcely believable as everything seems at least 30% bigger than one would expect. Tunnel view, El Capitan and Half Dome really need to be seen to be believed. By this point we were a fair distance above sea level so found ourselves getting a little more out of breath than usual, but the walk was obviously worth it. It was an unusual experience to be so thoroughly dwarfed by the scenery, but the giant Sequoias certainly put us in a new perspective. The pine cones were almost as big as our heads and root structures well beyond our arm spans. On our walk back to the car we also encountered a, thankfully rather relaxed, young bear who was pleasingly ambivalent to our presence.

“Just get the selfie stick over with”

Sequoia

We’d left our last few days intentionally blank with the intention of finding an Airbnb somewhere between Yosemite and our return flight from San Francisco. Sonoma fitted the bill nicely and we were lucky enough to be hosted by a lovely friendly host who even fed us one night. This was a perfect low key way to round off our trip, I also appreciated the motorsport connection as we passed Sonoma raceway.

Top of Lombard Street

By now I was well acquainted with our Dodge Challenger, which sadly didn’t feature a V8 but rather a V6 that at least turned out just over 300bhp. It would be hard to describe it as a refined, delicate driving experience but that’s missing the point. Muscle cars (I’m not going to bother debating if a muscle car with a V6 can really be a muscle car) like this should look dramatic, produce enough torque to feel like the engine isn’t breaking a sweat and make you feel cooler than you really are when on a road trip. On our way back to the airport, we crossed the Golden Gate bridge and took a detour down Lombard street, where we became the star of many tourists holiday snaps. I think that ticks all those boxes.

]]>Retro Road Test: Fiat Panda 100HPhttps://yorkonafork.com/2019/02/13/retro-road-test-fiat-panda-100hp/
Wed, 13 Feb 2019 12:21:34 +0000http://yorkonafork.com/?p=18634For anyone who cares about driving there should always be an appeal to basic, light, low power transport marketed toward fun. The kind of thing that harks back to the original Mini but is increasingly hard to find in these days of driving aids and airbags to cater for every eventuality. Arriving on the market in…

]]>For anyone who cares about driving there should always be an appeal to basic, light, low power transport marketed toward fun. The kind of thing that harks back to the original Mini but is increasingly hard to find in these days of driving aids and airbags to cater for every eventuality. Arriving on the market in 2006, the Fiat Panda 100hp ticked all those boxes. Under a thousand kilos, six gears, 100bhp from a snorty 1.4 litre engine. Hell, there’s even a sport button!

Hitting the streets with a bunch of equipment as standard (including bluetooth phone connectivity, spanky alloys, flared arches, tinted windows and climate control) for under ten grand got the motoring press quickly gushing over it. Evo in particular didn’t take long to brand the model as “the cheapest way into true Evoness.” I was hooked. I was also skint, but I kept hold of that road test for years while carefully waiting for the residuals to slip into my range. A few years ago that finally happened and I found an example close by to test drive. One slightly shocked salesperson later (“but… it’s a Panda.”) and I was arranging collection and discussing trade-in values.

Four and a half grand for a 2007 car with 40,000 miles on the clock wasn’t a complete rip-off, and there was a full history so a deal was done and I set about getting to know my new motor. Sport mode engaged and I was on my way, quickly finding out that the quoted 0-60 time of 9.5 seconds feels pessimistic when coupled with lots of road noise and a distinct lack of suspension. My first thoughts were that the handling was as engaging as its reputation suggested, with sharp and accurate steering. It wasn’t exactly the most natural motorway cruiser of course, but day-to-day life presented no problems within its diminutive constraints.

As a place to be it was entirely serviceable and it was more robust than one might expect, although bear in mind that those expectations are for a small Fiat. Cheap plastic and shiny fabric let things down, but everything felt sturdy and there were certainly no ergonomic howlers. The faux carbon fibre dash was pretty naff though, and I defy anyone to find an example without a torn gearstick gaiter.

All that standard equipment may have been operated with somewhat basic controls but it all functioned perfectly, comedy bluetooth excepted. Following the instructions to the letter lets the car tell you if it’s been successfully paired with your device, but sadly my inability to differentiate between mumbled Italian phrase one and mumbled Italian phrase two rendered the system useless to me.

So far, so as expected. Quick enough, pleasingly lacking in inertia, not horrible to sit in and not shedding any bits. It was perfect for nipping through traffic, and funky looking without being too ostentatious. I could have done without the blacked out windows after it was dubbed ‘a bit sinister’ by colleagues though.

The suspension was the headline though. There’s no getting away from the simple fact that it was far too hard for our roads. It didn’t take long until you were painfully aware of the locale’s most vicious speed bumps and planning routes to avoid them. Even motorway journeys weren’t immune – my partner’s failure to stay awake as a passenger rendered her vulnerable to a jarred neck when hitting motorway expansion joints. However, when I had the opportunity to chuck it around Millbrook’s city handling circuit everything fell into place in a way that the Yorkshire Dales roads simply wouldn’t allow with their broken surfaces.

Fuel consumption stuck around 37mpg at all times, unless sport mode was engaged. That was certainly a cool button to have but in real terms all it did was knock down the steering assistance and alter the engine map slightly for a bit more torque, while slicing 5mpg from your fuel consumption. That wasn’t a good alternative to holding each gear a few hundred revs longer.

Most running costs were reasonable, but that suspension clearly takes a beating and results in periodic bills of a few hundred quid to replace snapped bits. The only other minor irritation was the parcel shelf not being attached to the boot, resulting in an obscured rear view as you drive off, having forgotten to fold the shelf back down. I know other owners resorted to an umbrella kept in the car to prod it down, but I’m just tall enough to reach it from the driver’s seat.

So did it deliver on the high hopes I had after that Evo review of days gone by? No. It didn’t. I can see where they were coming from, but that suspension was a fatal flaw. There’s talk on owners forums of third-party replacement dampers, but I’d no interest in going down that route.

In the right place at the right time it was undeniably superb – a cheap, practical and fun way into ‘performance’ motoring but with too many compromises, I can’t see how it matches that original hyperbole.

]]>Garbutt & Elliott Food Awards shortlist announced!https://yorkonafork.com/2019/02/11/garbutt-elliott-food-awards-shortlist-announced/
Mon, 11 Feb 2019 10:16:29 +0000http://yorkonafork.com/?p=18773REVEALED: SHORTLIST OF YORKSHIRE’S MOST ENTREPRENEURIAL FOOD BUSINESSES The second annual Garbutt + Elliott Food Awards have now closed for entrants and a shortlist of 28 businesses across the eight categories have been announced. The awards, established by leading York and Leeds based accountancy firm, Garbutt + Elliott, now in their second year, celebrate Yorkshire’s…

The second annual Garbutt + Elliott Food Awards have now closed for entrants and a shortlist of 28 businesses across the eight categories have been announced.

The awards, established by leading York and Leeds based accountancy firm, Garbutt + Elliott, now in their second year, celebrate Yorkshire’s growing position within the national and even international food and drink marketplace. The awards received around 100 entrants and will see the winning businesses crowned at a ceremony on March 7, at the historical Victorian street of Kirkgate, in York’s Castle Museum.

With a very strong client base and commitment to the food and drink sector, Garbutt + Elliott are celebrating the industry and encouraging small and large producers, manufacturers and retailers to showcase their successes, within a supportive and collaborative awards scheme. The awards were set up in recognition of entrepreneurs and businesses from across Yorkshire who have been part of creating the county’s great food industry and cover all areas of the business.

Commenting on the shortlist, Garbutt + Elliott Partner, Tony Farmer, said: “There are many food and drink entrepreneurs who have great products or services, but to really thrive they need defined business strategies and the ability to work within them. We are looking for entrepreneurs who have this business spirit within them and who can demonstrate business acumen, even when it isn’t their personal strength. Our shortlist reflects this, with people and companies who have been able to navigate their way in an extremely competitive sector.”

The final shortlist was compiled by a team from Garbutt + Elliott, together with the judging panel which consisted of sponsors Deliciouslyorkshire, SIAFS, Made in Yorkshire and local food experts from York on a Fork, Make It York , Lemon Zest PR and Yorkshire chef extraordinaire Steph Moon.

Marketing Manager, Peta Bean, says: “It was an incredibly hard decision-making process only made easier by having to sample the delicious product for the ‘Deliciouslyorkshire’ Taste Award! We took a significant amount of time to discuss the finer details of all the applications and to seek out those who had that extra something to differentiate them. We are now excited to choose the overall winners, including the overall Business of the Year.”

Garbutt + Elliott advise entrepreneurial food and drink businesses across the county and see daily how forward-thinking and innovative these businesses are. The firm also provides accounting, audit, corporate finance, tax and payroll services across a diverse range of sectors including property and construction, manufacturing, charities, digital media and creative arts.

Award categories and shortlisted entrants include:

Best Innovation – sponsored by SIAFS

The Yorkshire Pudding Pie Company

Seagrown

Dine Delivered

Scotts Fish and Chips

‘Deliciouslyorkshire’ Taste Award – sponsored by Deliciouslyorkshire

Savoury Taste

Nukkad Indian Street Food

Yorkshire Born Yorkshire Fed

Wild Greens Farm

Chef Akila

Sweet Taste

Cedar Barn farm Shop and Cafe

Freaks of Nature

Drink

Hotham’s Gin School and Distillery

York Gin

Growth Business of the Year– sponsored by Urban Market

Cedar Barn farm Shop and Cafe

Minskip Farm Shop

Best Partnership– sponsored by the Yorkshire Food Guide

Birds On The Loose

Breckenholme Trading Company and Staal Smokehouse

York Gin and York Cocoa House

Young Business of the Year– sponsored by Made In Yorkshire

Fitch Brew Co Ltd

Kinoko Kombucha

York Gin

Cooper King

Leeds Cookery School

Best Yorkshire Exporter – sponsored by Department for International Trade

]]>Sushi time with York Cookery Schoolhttps://yorkonafork.com/2019/02/08/sushi-time-with-york-cookery-school/
Fri, 08 Feb 2019 16:54:09 +0000http://yorkonafork.com/?p=18758It’d never occurred to me to attempt my own sushi until I happened to see some friends making a go of it on social media a few weeks back. I wasn’t quite organised enough to get hold of the ingredients and kit needed but in a fortunate twist of fate, York Cookery School got in touch…

]]>It’d never occurred to me to attempt my own sushi until I happened to see some friends making a go of it on social media a few weeks back. I wasn’t quite organised enough to get hold of the ingredients and kit needed but in a fortunate twist of fate, York Cookery School got in touch to ask if I fancied trying out their new sushi course. It’s been far too long since I’ve eaten any sushi so I didn’t need asking twice and was happily on my way to their site at Clifton Moor before long.

York Cookery School has been teaching the good people of York the finer points of cookery since 2012, using a variety of well regarded tutors to provide characterful and informative courses. I’ve attended before to learn about fish cookery from the incomparable Steph Moon so had a good expectation of how the day would pan out. The tutor for the sushi course would be Dan Graham whose CV includes making the final of Masterchef: The Professionals and a stint at Malton’s well regarded Talbot Hotel as head chef. He gained his sushi skills at a high end restaurant in London from a Sushi Master and recently placed well in the Kikkoman Masters competition, plenty to suggest he knows his subject!

The four hour course packed in a lot of detail, starting with a chat about the care and effort that goes into sushi rice. Dan had thoughtfully pre-rinsed our rice and weighed it out to speed things along and make sure we’d have ample time later on to assemble our own sushi. With our rice cooked and happily cooling ready for later manipulation, we settled in for a chat about the origins of sushi and it’s preparation. We were shown how to create our own seasoning for the sushi rice but I’m afraid I opted to take the lazy route and use the preprepared stuff while coming to terms with my naivety in not realising that sushi rice was typically seasoned with a mix of rice vinegar, sugar and salt.

Now it was time to get stuck into some fish prep, which Dan thankfully led from the front. We had tuna, salmon and halibut to go about after a detailed demo. We were told how to cut across to the grain of the fish and maximise the return on the piece by using trimmings to create the filling for California Roll and diced flesh for Gunkan Maki (“Battleship Sushi”). I was initially suspicious that the amount of fish allocated to me wouldn’t go far enough, but I would soon be proved thoroughly wrong. We also put together a sweet rolled omelette with which to assemble nigiri. The technique for layering and rolling the egg is something I’ll definitely replicate at home and it looked lovely when wrapped with a strand of seaweed to secure it to the rice.

With our fish now trimmed to the appropriate sizes and shapes, it was time to start building some finished bites. With damped hands to combat the best efforts of the sticky rice, we set about building nigiri, California rolls and battleship sushi, the more adventurous of us even knocking out inside-out California rolls under the expert tutelage. We also put together some a beautiful yuzu based marinade for our halibut and a sesame dip to go with some beef fillet. Dan had quickly roasted some beef to deliciously rare for us to reinforce the point that sushi is most certainly not just raw fish, as is commonly misconceived.

The amount of sushi I went home with rather took me by surprise and comfortably made a couple of meals for us. With a bit of effort to augment it, I could have hosted a few friends for dinner and taken an opportunity to show off too. The course comes in at £110 which feels like a very fair price for the four hours of tuition and the mound of food I returned home with. I also took great pleasure in being reminded how much I enjoy sushi and look forward to developing a sushi habit again in the near future.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for my attendance. Opinions are impartial

]]>Family Fork visit Keswickhttps://yorkonafork.com/2019/02/07/family-fork-visit-keswick/
Thu, 07 Feb 2019 20:47:56 +0000http://yorkonafork.com/?p=18735It may be stating the obvious, but the Lake District is stunning. I’ve been visiting on and off for around twenty years and after staying in various locations, I generally find myself returning to Keswick. Coniston, Amble, Ambleside, Windermere, Ennerdale Bridge… all absolutely beautiful places to visit but Keswick offers a great blend of practical…

]]>It may be stating the obvious, but the Lake District is stunning. I’ve been visiting on and off for around twenty years and after staying in various locations, I generally find myself returning to Keswick. Coniston, Amble, Ambleside, Windermere, Ennerdale Bridge… all absolutely beautiful places to visit but Keswick offers a great blend of practical amenity and easy access to lakeside views and walks. We took advantage of off season prices to take a snow-capped visit recently and introduce Baby Fork to her first Lake District landscapes.

Moot Hall

The presence of a Booths supermarket is a great asset to any town, so we were more than happy to be staying a stone’s throw from the Keswick branch. We hit the reduced item aisle to grab a picnic dinner on the first evening of our flying visit, tucking into bread, cheese, crab terrine, quiche and sausage rolls. We didn’t linger long outside on our predinner stroll before retreating to the warmth of our cottage and its remarkably comfortable electrically reclining chairs that threatened to kidnap us each time they were engaged.

We spent the following morning mooching around Keswick and ignoring the “seasonal” weather to make the obligatory pilgrimage to Friar’s Crag and gaze out across Derwent Water at St Herbert’s Island, that was previously an inspiration for none other than Beatrix Potter. To refresh ourselves we went for lunch at one of my favourite spots in Keswick, The Square Orange, for tapas. While the patatas bravas could have done with both a broader, more subtle flavour, Morbier tartiflette was exactly as good as it sounds and baked Camembert is always a wonderful thing. We lightened the meal with artichokes wrapped in Parma ham, roasted padron peppers and a decent glass of wine before making our way to the Keswick Museum.

The museum offering in Keswick is undoubtedly lessened since the departures of the Cars of the Stars and James Bond Museums but with the Puzzling Place, Pencil Museum and Keswick museums still flying the flag there’re plenty of places to check out. The Keswick museum had a refurbishment a few years ago that’s made it much more contemporary in its design and layout but just as pleasingly eccentric in its exhibits, which include a dead cat in a box (really). I wish we’d had time to make it to the Pencil Museum, but Baby Fork will have to hold on a little longer for that pleasure.

Castlerigg Stone Circle

The following day arrived with a beautiful dusting of snow across Keswick in which a visitor to our front door had left some cute footprints. We set off with the intention of a low level stroll around Buttermere and a lack of realisation about how much more snow had settled out of town. The route to Buttermere would have taken us across the Honister Pass. This wasn’t the weather to be tackling one of the steepest roads in the country though, so we switched plan and headed back in the direction of Castlerigg stone circle, which is easily accessible by car if not necessarily pushchair.

Obviously overwhelmed by the scenery

We were looking forward to finishing the day with some pub grub so needed to work up an appetite and chose the old railway line as the most likely buggy friendly walk from town to do so. Having seen in the Keswick Museum pictures of the former railway station in use leant the beginning of our walk a nostalgic air and we were thankfully right in our assumption that it would be baby friendly. It only takes a mile or so on this route to find a boardwalk which gives great views over the river, an imposing concrete bridge, the remains of railway workings and some interesting information about a bobbin mill.

Station for Briery Bobbin Mill on abandoned railway line

Dinner came from the Dog and Gun which while it maybe isn’t the picture of perfection – it is a few years since its refurbishment – is still a marvellous place to kill time and make friends with plenty of the town’s four legged residents. The goulash here is legendary so we plumped for one of those alongside a beef & ale pie, whose accompanying chips let the standard down a little. It’s easy to see why so many people choose this place to retire to after a day’s walking and let grateful strangers fuss their pets.

Ghoulash at The Dog & Gun

Our cottage had an early kick out time of 10am so we chose to begin our journey home with a brunch at The Rheged Centre. I’ve called here a bunch of times for a quick comfort break but I’ve never explored the site, which turns out to have been my loss. The grass roofed building is run by the same people as the fantastic Gloucester and Tebay services and is on the site of a former limestone quarry. A mini brunch for five pounds was great value and the ham hock under poached eggs and Hollandaise really brought life to the dish. There’s plenty here to enjoy on a day out including the cinema, soft play and shops.

We’ll be back to Keswick in due course to show Baby Fork more of the area when she’s old enough, but we’ll find an excuse to go back before she’s old enough to really appreciate it.